Epicurious is out with their list of the top 10 food trends to watch in 2009. Most of them we're already up on (noodle bars, cheap eats, regional roasters), but we were caught off-guard by number 3: "Peruvian is the new Thai."

You thought Peruvian cuisine was all about seviche, maybe? Guess again: Peru boasts culinary influences from Spanish, Basque, African, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, and British immigrants. Pisco Sour, anyone?

Who knew? We hate to admit to being followers, but this sounds like a trend we can get behind. But wait a minute--we're not sure we've ever even seen a Peruvian restaurant, much less eaten at one. So we did a little legwork to find out just where these suddenly trendy eateries are. After the jump, our (untested) guide to Peruvian restaurants across the US:]]> BS 2008-12-04T10:45:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/2/83813/9277

The now-official recession has led us to spend the past month pointing out our favorite cheapskate eateries, but it has now come to our attention that the economic crisis may be killing the actual concept of the restaurant altogether.

Financial Times columnist (and failed restaurant owner) Nicholas Landry explains:]]> BS 2008-12-02T13:06:33-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/2/8579/11610

We normally don't get too excited about food travel shows. Seriously, how many times can you watch Anthony Bourdain eat a sheep testicle or some other bizarre find you're never going to actually taste?

But we're intrigued to check out the Travel Channel's new series Man v. Food, in which host Adam Richman travels across America investigating our most nationalistic culinary tradition: Eating as much as is humanly possible.

Richman visits the kind of places that offer you a 72-ounce steak for free, if you can finish it without vomiting. Items on deck for the show, which starts Wednesday, include the Ohio Deli's "biggest Dagwood sandwich in the country"--a 2.5-pound behemoth of ham, turkey and roast beef; the 30-inch pizza at Big Pie Pizza in Atlanta; and "the hottest curry in the world" at New York's Brick Lane.

After the jump, video of Adam taking on Big Texas Steak Ranch's 72-ounce sirloin. ]]> BS 2008-12-02T12:57:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/23/1894/0276

Given soaring food prices, you'd think most Americans would be holding on to every scrap of meat they can find nowadays. But that's not the case in Framingham, Massachusetts, where a mysterious meat Santa has been leaving giant pieces of high-quality raw meat just lying around in the public park.

The mystery began in early October, when dog walkers began finding slabs of raw meat, seemingly carefully arranged at the base of a large evergreen.

Chris Walsh, an architect who works in an office near the green, spotted a five-pound shoulder cut several weeks ago. The following week, he saw a "less appetizing" cut of gristly scrap meat, he said. Then it was a slice of liver and a "very good-looking" roast.

Are you ready to expand your palate? Put down that steak and look beyond the salad plate at the world's best vegetarian restaurants.

VegDC.com just named George Washington U. hangout and fair-weather sidewalk cafe Java Green the best vegetarian joint in our nation's capital for the second year in a row. So what makes this eco-friendly restaurant so great? Its model of fast food, vegan style!

The Conscious Kitchen, in its round-up of vegan food in DC, called Java Green "a great model of what quick, healthy veg food can be," showing off mouthwatering treats like a faux chicken bento. And a commenter on Yelp touted its "Lunches that aren't miniscule or gigantic. Lunches that are lunch-sized. I know. Wild." So whether you're picking up a noodle salad or treating yourself to a vegan burger, you'll have room for dinner--if you want to come back for more.

Want to see your favorite joint featured? Tip us off.

Related Stories:
· World's Best Vegetarian Restaurants: Gold Medal in Morocco [Jaunted]
· Dare to Vary in Amsterdam [Jaunted]
· Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: xiann]]]> egw 2008-11-21T14:15:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/123536/87

Are you ready to expand your palate? Put down that steak and look beyond the salad plate at the world's best vegetarian restaurants.

On its website, Sable D'Or lists among its credits that the Pakistani and Sri Lankan national cricket teams eat there exclusively whenever they come to Tangier. Whether or not Sable D'Or is the only Indian restaurant in Tangier, it seems to be the best vegetarian option in a place where the word vegetarian often draws blank stares.

Named for a beach south of Rabat also known as Sid el Abed, Sable d'Or isn't wholly veggie--or wholly Indian for that matter. But where else are you going to go to watch European sports or listen to live Moroccan music with a side order of aloo dum? If you aren't too full, hit the attached bar afterwards for some dancing.

Want to see your favorite joint featured? Tip us off.

Related Stories:
· A Place In The Sun [TIME]
· Mash, No Bangers [Jaunted]
· Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Sable D'Or]]]> egw 2008-11-20T14:00:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/19/184949/78

Lots of cities like to celebrate their sandwiches: Philly's got cheesesteaks and of course Sandwich, England, has the original. But no town could really celebrate a sandwich quite the way New Orelans does.

The sandwich in question is, of course, the po-boy, and the celebration is the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival, which takes over five city blocks this Sunday.

Whether you think po-boys should be traditional (fried oysters), avant garde (seafood stuffed mushrooms) or just plain out there (alligator sausage), the po-boy preservation festival likely has some variety of fried-fish-on-a-roll you should be able to get on board with. There are also all kinds of live bands, art events and presentations about the history of the food. And to top it all off, the Golden Loaf award will bestowed on the one po-boy that's fit to rule them all.

Related Stories:
· New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival [Official Site]
· Mahoney's Po-Boy Shop [Jaunted]
· New Orleans travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival]]]> BS 2008-11-20T13:30:16-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/